The Alberta government has listed the selling price of a 1,560-square-foot home at less than $500. The only catch – it needs to be relocated.
The house on Beach Way S.W. in High River is one of 26 homes that have been put up for sale nearly four years after flood waters ravaged southern Alberta. It is among the 94 homes impacted by the floods that were purchased by the government.
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The government bought up the homes to give Albertans the freedom to relocate to areas that are not in a flood zone.
“The whole point of the floodway relocation was to get as many out of the floodway as wanted to move,” said Dallas Huybregts, public affairs officer with Alberta Infrastructure. “It was a way that they could fairly get value for their home and leave the floodway.”
The 26 homes are being sold on the government’s online auction site. As of Wednesday afternoon, the highest bid listed was $31,050 for a 2,560-square-foot home on Saxony Lane S.W.
Huybregts said the province hired an engineering contractor to assess the homes for structural damage and environmental concerns, such as mould. They were all determined to be suitable for relocation.
The one stipulation is that each home must be moved off the property within 160 business days of the sale. It’s up you to get it off the lot.
“If you have a lot, or you have a piece of land and you have the resources to move a structure, this is a fantastic way to get a home for bargain basement prices, really,” he said.
Huybregts said the government will not redevelop the land after the homes are gone.
“Basements will be filled in, any utilities that are still going into the property from the main lines will be removed and then the lands will be remediated back to the state that is natural for the area,” he said.
The bidding closes Feb. 17.